We're now two weeks from Louisiana's October 12th primary and recent independent polls show the biggest question remaining is whether Governor Edwards can avoid a run-off with top polling Republican Eddie Rispone.
Ralph Abraham used to be the Republican favorite, but that's changed. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says Abraham's fundraising woes finally caught up to him.
"From day one the question was could Ralph Abraham raise enough money to compete with Eddie Rispone, and right now that does not seem to be the case," said Pinsonat.
This month's campaign finance report shows Rispone with 6.3 million dollars on hand, Governor Edwards with 5.7 million, and Abraham with 1.4 million.
Rispone appears to have vaulted Abraham thanks to a series of attack ads calling Abraham disloyal to the President. Pinsonat says the attacks were effective.
"They were vicious, he was attacking a fellow Republican and that upset some of his fellow Republicans, but if you look at what has happened, Eddie Rispone got it right," said Pinsonat."
The state party warned Republican candidates not to attack each other in the primary, because it would lead to another term for Democrat Edwards.
Governor Edwards continues to creep closer to winning outright in the primary, but Pinsonat says his campaign must be concerned about numbers in the upper 40's.
"He's in great shape but the question is why has he not been able to get to 50.1%?" said Pinsonat.
The primary is set for October 12th, with a potential run-off scheduled for November 16th.